Imported fresh pine trees and branches have become hot items for Christmas decorations in Vietnam this year.
 

Although Christmas is nearly a month away, many families in Vietnam have bought decorations for their homes and fresh pine trees are becoming one of the most sought items this year.

Nguyen Thi Dinh, 43, in Hanoi's Ha Dong District has just completed the decorations for the Christmas tree at home. She said that this year she decided to buy a fresh pine tree instead of a dry tree used in previous years.

The Christmas tree at Dinh's house
 

"The fresh tree is bringing a nice fragrance and a much more cosy atmosphere to my home this Christmas season," Dinh said.

Nguyen Nha Trang in Hai Ba Trung District received lots of likes and good comments after sharing a photo of her decorations for Christmas on her Facebook account. Trang arranged three fresh pine branches in a big vase and decorated it with some pine cones, star shapes and other items.

Trang's decorations for Christmas
 

"My living room is small so I decided to use fresh pine branches," Trang said. "It took much more time to decorate it but finally I'm very happy with it. Many people are sending praise for my beautiful Christmas decorations and I will throw away the fake Christmas tree which I had used for many years."

Although Christmas is not a traditional festival in Vietnam, more local people are celebrating it in recent years as part of the country’s increasing international integration, according to some shops selling Christmas decorations. The market for decorations is becoming busier at this time.

Hanoi shop owner Pham Quang Duy, said that he had received more orders for fresh pine trees this year.

"We’re providing both branches and trees of various sizes," he said. "They may be locally-grown or imported. Young families are our main customers who usually buy small-sized trees or branches for their home decorations. We are also selling many large-sized trees for shopping malls, hotels and restaurants."

Pine trees imported from Denmark
 

The shop owner said that they imported the trees from Holland, Denmark, and China.

"An imported fresh pine branch is priced between VND250,000-290,000 (US$11-13)," he said. "A small-sized tree costs between VND2-10 million (US$87- 435). Trees from Holland and Denmark cost much more than those from China but attract more customers thanks to their beauty."

Source: Dtinews